Expecting The Unexpected
by IronCladGod
Summary: Ever wondered what it would be like to have a sick and injured God of mischief show up on your doorstep? I imagine you haven't. And Tony Stark hadn't either, but he still found himself stuck in that very situation.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic on here, so please go easy on me. I'm really hoping this will turn into something good, and I've got a lot of plans. I'd appreciate any feedback, but just sit back and enjoy reading. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own. **

Music was blaring from the speakers (Black Sabbath), designs were projected all over the room, and Tony Stark was making the latest adjustments to his Iron Man suit.

"Dummy, bring me that screwdriver," the genius ordered, not taking his eyes off his plan. There was the familiar whir of Dummy, and the screwdriver was placed next to Tony's hand.

For several more minutes, Tony continued in his work, head bent over his suit in concentration.

"Sir, there is someone at the front door," Jarvis' voice rang out, causing Tony to jump, dropping his screwdriver on his foot.

"Shit, Jarvis. You could have cleared your throat or something," he yelled, foot throbbing. "Anyway, I didn't even know we had a front door," Tony was so used to either having Pepper invite people in or they just came in like they owned the place. It appeared Fury had somehow overrode Jarvis' commands not to allow people in straight away.

"Sir, I'm afraid to say that would be impossible, and when Stark Towers was designed, there was a front door."

Somehow, Tony found his way to the previously non-existent (at least in his mind) front door, with the assistance of Jarvis. Sometimes, it scared Tony how reliant he was on his AI.

When he opened the door, he found nothing, other than a steady rain pouring down. "Hello?" he called out, glancing around.

No answer.

"Is anyone actually out here? It's 11 pm, and I've got better things to do than stand out in the rain."

A figure finally moved out from behind the corner, and Tony squinted to make out who it was.

A familiar voice rang out from underneath a hood. "Good evening, Stark."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd drop in, see how things were going," Loki said, stepping into the light.

Tony just snorted. "Why are you really here?"

"Due to some unfortunate cicumstances, I've contracted some sort of mortal ailment."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Insolent as ever, I see," Loki sneered. "I thought it would have been obvious, especially to a 'genius' like you."

Tony hated how condescending Loki was. Everything about him just radiated smugness, and it irked Tony to no end.

"Listen, Reindeer Games. If you're here to fuck with me, the you can get lost. You either tell me what the name of god you're doing here, or you go away," Tony's patience was wearing thin. It was cold, the rain was coming down heavily, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with Loki's shit.

"I came because I thought if any mortal could inform me what I'm suffering from, it would be you."

"Oh," Tony hadn't been expecting this. Loki was... complimenting him. Well, sort of. Tony just took it as a compliment. His ego could never get too big, despite what Pepper and Fury might say.

"Flattery gets you no where," Tony smirked, leaning against the door frame. If Loki wanted to start off being annoyingly indirect, Tony was very happy to play along.

"Stark, I swear, if you don't let me in, I will force my way in," Loki growled, despite the hoarseness in his voice.

"Bossy much?" Tony grumbled, moving aside. He'd rather just let Loki in than have his house destroyed.

Once Loki was inside, he seemed unsure on what do to with himself. He stood, staring at Tony.

"Well this is sufficiently awkward," Tony said, breaking the silence.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Aside from the fact you're a crazy phsycopath? How am I supposed to know? To be honest, you don't even seem that sick. But you've been here for all of about 5 minutes" Tony rolled his eyes. "Not that I even want you here."

Loki snarled, glaring.

"Sorry, were you expecting me to bow down and tell you how honoured I am you came to me, a mere mortal, to assist you?" Tony replied sarcastically. He wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what Loki was expecting.

"Stark, you are insufferable as ever. I'm here because I need a place to recover. Despite the fact that this in no way lives up to Asgard, you chose a pleasant place to live. You will help me."

"Why should I? I mean, you've done nothing to help me. You threw me out a goddamn window."

"Again with the window. Are you ever going to let that go?"

Tony didn't answer. Part of him - the more responsible side - was telling him not to trust Loki, and to send him away. The other, more dominant, part of him was saying to just go along with it. Might find out something useful. Screw it, Tony thought to himself. He wasn't famed for his resbonsibility.

"Fine. You can stay here, but under one condition. You don't destroy anything in this place."

Tony set off walking, not bothering to check if Loki was behind him. He stopped outside one of the many bedrooms, gesturing towards the room. It was large, spacious, and had glass panels lining the walls, showing a view of the city sprawled below. "You can stay in here. There's a bathroom in there, the kitchen's down the hall, to your left, and don't disturb me in my workshop. I think that's it."

"Thank you, Stark," Loki forced out stiffly, before a hacking cough came over him.

"No problem," Tony muttered, leaving Loki to sort himself out.

"I need a drink," Tony said, more to himself than anyone else. After what just happened, he felt like he deserved it. Without thinking about it, he was standing at his familiar bar. Tony grabbed a glass and poured out a healthy measure of whiskey.

"Jarvis, what's Loki doing?" he asked, just to make sure the God wasn't doing something that could result in damage to either Tony or the building.

"Loki's looking around the bedroom you allocated him, sir."

Tony nodded, draining his glass.

After 4 glasses, there was a pleasant fog in the back of Tony's mind. The thoughts that he'd been trying to avoid crept into his mind. What was he doing? Loki was his enemy, and a dangerous one at that. Almost everything the Avengers had to deal with these days were because of Loki. Tony wondered what his team would have to say about this, but pushed the though away. That was something he could deal with in the future, hopefully the very distant future.

At some point, Loki came and joined Tony.

"Finding everything to your satisfaction, your majesty?" Tony slurred. It crossed his mind that the last time he'd stood in this room with Loki, the God had tossed him out his own window.

"I see the fact you're intoxicated doesn't affect your sarcasm," Loki observed dryly.

"Oh how very clever of you to notice. I can only dream of having your intelligence."

Loki chose to ignore Tony's comment, instead eyeing the bottle of whiskey.

"Have some if you want. It helps with stress," Tony slid a glass along the surface, watching as it came to rest next to Loki's hand.

"I don't drink," he replied stiffly.

"Come on! One glass never hurt anyone."

"Fine," muttered Loki, grudgingly pouring himself a glass. He sipped hesitantly. There was an unpleasant burning sensation as the amber liquid trickles down his throat.

Being drunk was not a feeling that he enjoyed, but if it distracted himself from his sickness, Loki had no qualms with a couple of glasses.

"So, how long have you been sick for?" Tony asked.

"A week, possibly more," Loki coughed again, and Tony noticed he was even paler than usual, something that previously, he hadn't thought possible.

The two drunk in silence for a while, the occasional cough or sneeze coming from Loki.

"For heaven's sake, just use a tissue!" Tony exclaimed in exasperation as Loki sniffled for what felt like the millionth time.

"Your sympathy is heartwarming," said Loki, sarcasm dripping from his voice. When he made no move to get a tissue, Tony strode over to a drawer, pulling out a box of tissues.

"Here," he growled, shoving them towards Loki.

"Right then. I'm off to bed," Tony announced, leaving his glass on the side and walking over to the doorway. "Do whatever you want, I don't care. Just don't kill anyone or do any of your usual crazy shit."

Loki just blew his nose and glared at Tony.

"Fucking gods," the man muttered, walking away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Apologies for the length of this one. I really wanted it to be longer, but I couldn't think of what to add, and my flawless beta said it was fine. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's read so far, I hope you're all enjoying it. I promise the next chapter (which I already have written) will be better. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Morning Sunshine," Tony mumbled, noticing Loki standing against the counter in the kitchen. The god said nothing, but coughed, glaring at Tony.

"Someone's grumpy," the genius muttered darkly, making himself a cup of coffee. "Want some?" he asked, gesturing at the high-tech machine.

Loki just nodded, sniffing.

"I thought I gave you tissues last night," Tony said, puzzled. What with the several drinks and overall confusion, half of last night's details were a bit fuzzy to him.

"You did. I used them all."

"Jarvis, order more tissues. And make sure they're delivered as soon as possible. I don't need Reindeer germs."

"Right away, sir."

Tony handed Loki a steaming mug of coffee and sipped his own.

Personally, Loki found the drink to be rather bitter, but he drunk it anyway. Tony examined first the surfaces, then the cupboards, looking for food.

"Aha! Donuts," he exclaimed, pulling out a box of the sugary treats.

"Help yourself," he pushed the box towards Loki, before picking up a chocolate frosted one.

Loki chose a cinnamon one, and eyed it suspiciously before taking a hesitant bite. It was quite unlike anything he'd tasted on Asgard, but after taking another bite, he decided he rather liked these 'donuts'.

"So, we'll probably have these tissues for you in about 20 minutes. I'm going down to my workshop. If you need me, let Jarvis know and he'll tell me," Tony picked up his coffee, and several more donuts, walking away.

Loki stared at the spot where Tony had disappeared round the corner, feeling an unusual twinge of annoyance. It wasn't as if he'd been expecting Stark to drop everything just to be in his company. No, that would be ludicrous. But he couldn't help feeling slightly irritated about Stark's easy dismissal.

Down in his workshop, Tony was continuing where he'd left off last night, fiddling with a part of his helmet.

"Sir, Doctor Banner is attempting to contact you," Jarvis' voice rang out, breaking Tony's concentration.

"Tell him I'm busy," he orderd.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. He's insisting that he must speak to you and that it's urgent.

"Put him through then," Tony sighed, setting down his tools.

A pixelated image of Bruce appeared on the screen closest to Tony, and the genius immediately noticed how ill his friend looked. He felt a surge of pity for the guy.

"Sup, Bruce?"

"We need to know if you've heard from Loki recently," Bruce said bluntly.

Tony's heart stopped for a second, and he was inwardly grateful that Bruce couldn't see him up close.

"Loki? Not since last month. Why?" he lied, hating himself slightly.

"Last night, Thor had a dream. He didn't see much, all he knew was that Loki was weak. That means he's I'm trouble."

"Look, I don't care what kind of shit the guy's got himself into. Not our problem. And why are we suddenly going off what Thor's seen in a goddamn dream?"

"Tony, this is serious. If something or somebody has weakened Loki, they must be pretty strong. That can only mean bad news for us. And Thor's dreams aren't just normal dreams. They're premonitions."

Tony sighed again. Mentally, he made a list of pros and cons. He didn't want to tell his so-called team, but he also didn't want them rushing off, looking for someone who was safely hidden away in his own tower. Then again, if he came clean, he'd get lectures from everyone, and Fury would probably kick his ass all the way to Asgard.

"Listen Bruce, Loki's fine. And I know that because he's here. With me," Tony decided for once, he'd be a team player. "Last night, he came to me with a cold, wanting some help."

Bruce was temporarily speechless. "You've got Loki staying in your tower? As in the same Loki who's attacked Manhattan so many times I've lost count, and threw you out a window?"

"That's the one," Tony confirmed grimly.

"Right. Holy shit, Tony," Bruce ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled. "I guess I'll tell everyone it's a false alarm, and explain what's happening."

"Don't mention a thing to Fury. Or else I personally make sure I'm the reason you next Hulk out. I'm thinking of maybe trashing your lab."

"You wouldn't dare. I won't say anything to Fury, but if I find one thing out of place in my lab, you're dead," Bruce warned, before disconnecting.

"Ahh shit," Tony groaned, his head falling against the desk.

3 hours later, he was awoken by Jarvis notifying him that he had 13 new messages. 8 of them were from Clint. They ranged from "What the fuck are you doing? You've got a fucking criminal living in your house," to "I'm coming round. I can't miss out on a chance to see the reindeer all sick and weak."

Next was Natasha, and Tony groaned when he heard her humongous lecture on what an idiot he was, and how Loki was likely to kill him, if Fury didn't do it first.

There was even a message from Thor, who Tony didn't even know could use a phone. That one was a highly uncomfortable 5 minute thank you from the God.

Tony knew that there'd be messages from Steve, and probably Pepper, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with shit from everyone.

"Jesus Christ," Tony ran his hands through his hair again, feeling a headache coming on fast.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3. Sorry it took a little bit longer, I'm visiting my family, and I'm going back to school next week. I haven't started chapter 4 yet, but I've got my ideas. I'll try putting up a chapter maybe once every 2 days. Thanks for all your reviews so far, the positive feedback encourages me to write more. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

BANG.

Tony awoke with a jerk, staring frantically around the workshop, before his eyes rested on Pepper, glowering down at him.

"Anthony Stark, I can't believe you. Of all the dumb-ass things you've ever done, I think this comes out on top. I came home from my meeting in California to find Loki here. Loki. Would you like to explain what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Jesus Pep, stop yelling," Tony muttered defensively, trying to ease out the cramp in his neck.

"No, I will not stop yelling! Not until you tell me what's going on, because try as I might, I can't figure out how in the hell Loki managed to get in here," she screamed.

Tony winced, almost shrinking away from her fierce glare. "He came to me last night. He wanted help or something."

"Or something? How the fuck can you not know? Did he place some sort of weird spell on you causing every last drop of sense disappear from you?"

Tony stood up, placing his hands on Pepper's shoulders and gazing into her eyes (a rather difficult feat, considering Tony's hight and Pepper's ridiculously high heels). "Pepper, if I thought Loki was going to kill me, I wouldn't have let him stay here. I'm not so stupid as to endanger myself in such an idiotic way. If he'd have used magic on me, my eyes would be bright blue right now. And we discovered when he tried taking over the world that his scepter doesn't work on me. Something to do with my arc reactor."

"You better know what you're getting yourself into, because I'm sure as hell not helping. I've gotten you out of enough trouble before, but this time, you're on your own," Pepper said angrily, storming out of the workshop.

Tony fell back into his chair, groaning in exasperation.

Finally, at 3, Tony found the energy to drag himself into the living room. To his surprise, he found Loki stretched out across the sofa, a blanket placed haphazardly over his legs.

Although Tony didn't move away from the doorway, he still noticed how pale Loki looked. There was a sheen of sweat across his forehead, and he looked totally drained of energy.

"Are you just going to stare or will you actually join me?" croaked Loki, sparing Tony a look of disdain. Feeling rather awkward, Tony walked over and perched himself on the edge of the sofa, by Loki's feet. There was a re-run of Doctor Who on the TV, so Tony watched it, although he was only half paying attention. The rest of his mind was occupied by the God lying by him. It was clear Loki's state was deteriorating, something that worried Tony more than it should. For the billionth time, he questioned why he'd even allowed Loki into the house.

"Stark?" asked Loki, breaking Tony's train of thought.

"Hmm?"

"Am I dying?"

Tony couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. Of all the things he'd ever heard, this was probably in the top 5 for most ridiculous.

Loki looked indignant.

"This is no laughing matter. I must know if this sickness will result in my death."

"Loki, you've got a cold! That's not life threatening. I thought you were immortal, anyway."

"No one is immortal. How am I to be expected to know about these mortal ailments? On Asgard, there is no purpose of knowing about illnesses we are unlikely to suffer from."

"Fair point. How did you even end up sick?" Tony had been wondering that for a while now.

"I'd rather not say just now," Loki replied, sneezing.

Tony just ignored him, and returned to the show.

"What's that?" asked Loki, breaking the silence to point at the TARDIS.

"Oh, that. It's this phone box that's bigger in the inside than on the outside. It's like a time machine. I think TARDIS stands for time and relative dimension in space."

"So through this device, people can visit different time periods?"

"Yeah, pretty much. They can also go to different planets and stuff."

"Is this through magic, or through your area of expertise, science?"

"Neither. This guy - The Doctor, he's an alien, so he's got all sorts of cool technology."

Frankly, Tony was surprised he even remembered all of that. He didn't have much time for TV, what with trying to be CEO of a massive company, saving the world, and being a self-proclaimed genius.

"Interesting," Loki murmured, sinking into his own thoughts again.

The two continued watching the show, in what could only be considered as a companionable silence, broken only for Loki's coughing or sneezing. Therefore, it came as rather a surprise to Tony to hear heavy footsteps thundering towards them. Without any more warning, the rest of the Avengers burst into the room.

Thor spoke first. "Brother!" he exclaimed, and Loki found himself (rather unwillingly), the victim of a bone crushing Thor-hug.

"I'm not your brother," Loki mumbled into Thor's bicep, but his comment was ignored by everyone, except Thor. "Bond is stronger than blood," he said wisely.

"Where you and Mr Evil just watching TV together?" Clint asked, his mouth slightly open.

"Maybe," replied Tony, a hint of defiance in his voice. "Close your mouth, you look like a fish," he added. He looked at the rest of his team, and all traces of confidence were diminished, especially when he caught sight of the look Steve was giving him. It was one of mingled concern, confusion and disapproval, a standard Steve look. Without him even saying anything, Tony felt like a little boy being scolded by his father again.

Averting his eyes, Tony waited for the shit to really hit the fan. Worst coming to worst, Bruce would Hulk out, Natasha would shoot someone, Loki would destroy the house, or he'd be killed.

Due to the surprising silence, he thought that things might not be all that bad.

But optimism wasn't Tony's strongest point, probably a good thing, considering what happened next was so much worse than what he'd originally imagined.


	4. Chapter 4

**Normally, I'd send this off to my friend who's my unofficial beta, but due to popular demand (2 reviews!) I'm posting this straight away. If there's any mistakes, I'm sorry. Congratulations to TeaAndCrumpetsIfYouPlease for guessing exactly what would happen! And you were right with Harry Potter comment too, even though I never thought of that. Thanks again for the people who been reviewing and reading. Enjoy this slightly rushed chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Stand up and put your hands behind your head! Don't move."

S.H.I.E.L.D agents were surrounding both Tony and Loki, their guns trained on the God, who slowly stood up and did as they said.

"Would someone like to explain what the fuck is going on?" Tony demanded, glaring at the agents.

"You're harbouring a known criminal. We need to take him back to base where we'll be holding him captive," came a voice that Tony recognised as Maria Hill.

"No way," he said firmly.

"Step aside, Stark," Fury ordered, stepping out from the shadows.

"Not a chance. Loki's not doing any harm."

"He slips through our fingers like he's coated in butter. We need to take him whilst we've got him," Fury said impatiently.

"No. If he was trying to attempt world domination again or something, I'd let you take him, but he's not, so get out of my house."

"Stark, I'm not in the mood for you," Fury sighed. "Either you let us take him, or we..."

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Tony laughed dryly.

In a split second, Natasha had drawn a tranquillizer gun and shot him in the back of the neck.

"Or we'll do that," Fury said to the unconscious man. "Take him," he added, gesturing to Loki, who allowed handcuffs to be clipped over his wrists and followed the agents out of the house.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Tony asked groggily, gazing up into the anxious (but blurry) face of Steve. "I feel like I've got the most horrendous hangover known to mankind."

Steve chuckled. "No. Natasha shot you with a tranquillizer gun. When you collapsed, you hit your head pretty hard."

"Sorry Tony, but it had to be done," Natasha apologised, and he caught sight of her face too.

"Why?"

"You were trying to stop S.H.I.E.L.D from taking Loki," Steve explained.

"Shit! Did they take him?" his memory catching up with him, and he sat up, ignoring the sudden rush of blood to his head.

"Of course they did. But why did you try and stop them?" Steve questioned.

"Because there was no need to take him! He wasn't doing anything. I thought if he trusted me a bit more, maybe he wouldn't cause as much trouble once he got his magic back."

Tony stood up, grabbing a jacket.

"Where are you going?" Natasha asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"I'm going to get my God back," he answered.

"Fury, let him go," Tony ordered, walking into the control room where a bunch of agents where watching a small screen with the footage of Loki in the same cell he was always kept in.

Fury turned around slowly to face Tony. "No. He needs to be kept here."

"No he doesn't. He's not here to hurt people. He's here because he's sick."

"I doubt it. I think he's just feeding crap to you to get close to you," Fury replied stubbornly.

"At least let me see him," Tony said.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"If you don't let me see him, I'll force my way in."

"Fine."

"Hey Reindeer Games," Tony said, walking in.

Loki said nothing, just looked up at him. Tony felt quite sorry for him. He was even paler than earlier, and had bags under his eyes.

"Sorry about S.H.I.E.L.D. They're just being stubborn assholes."

"Why are you here?" Loki asked bluntly.

"To get you back in my house," Tony replied, equally as blunt.

He just looked sideways at Tony, confusion etched into his face. "Why? You hate me."

"I don't hate you. I might not like you, but I don't hate you. I don't think you should be in here anyway. You trusted me enough to ask for my help. I figured I should actually help you," Tony shrugged.

"I don't trust you," Loki hissed.

"Keep telling yourself that," he replied nonchalantly. "Do you want to stay here or come with me?"

"I'd rather come with you, to be honest," Loki admitted.

"Right then," Tony said, standing up.

"Where are you going now?" he asked.

"To have another chat with dear Nick," Tony replied grimly.

"He's coming with me."

"No, he's not. We've been through this."

"Listen, you self centered ass hole, Loki is coming back with me, and if I have to break him out, I will," Tony snarled, his hand closing suddenly over Fury's windpipes, shoving him against the wall.

"Fine, fine," Fury choked, fingers scrabbling at Tony's hand.

"Thank you," he said, letting go. "I'd rather it didn't come to that, but it was the only way."

"You're coming back with me now," Tony said, as the doors to Loki's cell slid open again.

"I am?" he looked surprised, but stood up all the same.

"Yep. Fury gave in. Don't make me regret this."

Loki followed Tony back up to the control room where Fury was waiting with a large, metal bracelet in his hand.

"What's that?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a tracking device. This way, we know Loki's not doing anything wrong, and if he takes it off, he'll find himself back in here," Fury explained, holding his hand out for Loki's wrist.

They left after the device was attached, Loki examining it as they went.

"Thank you, Stark," he said. "I'm pleasantly surprised you decided to assist."

"No problem," Tony replied, slightly proud of himself for doing something good for once, even though it was for an evil super-villain.

"We're home!" Tony called out, walking through the door, Loki trailing behind him.

"What's he doing here?" Clint spat, glaring at Loki.

"He has a name. And Loki's back where he needs to be right now."

"Thank you, Tony Stark. I appreciate what you have done for my brother," Thor boomed.

"I see you got your God back," Natasha smirked, causing a look of confusion to pass over Loki's face.

"Shut up, Natasha. If no one minds, I'd like to go down to my workshop. In fact, I don't care if you mind, I'm doing it anyway, and possibly staying in there for several days. I don't want to see any of you, except Bruce, and that's only if I need him," Tony said briskly, walking away, leaving everyone in stunned silence.


	5. Chapter 5

**Another chapter! Maybe I'll be able to update every day, it just depends how quickly I write and when my beta gets back to me. Thanks again to TeaAndCrumpetsIfYouPlease for your feedback, and this chapter ****_has _****been betad, so I hope it makes more sense. This is a bit short, but it's kind of a filler chapter, I guess. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Sir, Loki is requesting your presence," Jarvis announced over Tony's music.

"Hmm? Why?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. He says he needs to speak to you."

"Where is he?"

"In his bedroom, sir."

Sighing, Tony walked off to Loki's room, glancing wistfully behind him at his designs for stretchable pants he was trying to make for Bruce.

"What's the matter, Rock Of Ages?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"I just wanted some company," Loki said simply.

"You're getting some colour back," Tony pointed out. "You don't sound as sick either."

"I feel a bit better," he admitted.

Without thinking about it, Tony pressed a hand to Loki's forehead, glad to feel that his temperature wasn't too high.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Checking your temperature."

"Stark?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you so bothered about assisting me when S.H.I.E.L.D captured me?"

"I don't know," Tony said honestly. He'd been wracking his brains over the past few days, and he still didn't know why he cared so much about what happened to Loki.

"How can you not know?"

"I just don't. I'm at a loss as what else to say."

"That's a first. Tony Stark, almost speechless," Loki joked, a rare smile spreading across his face.

"_Almost_. That's the key word there," Tony replied, enjoying the friendly banter.

"I think I know exactly how to change that," said Loki deviously. He leaned forwards slightly, and kissed Tony.

In the space of about 2 seconds, hundreds of thoughts ran through Tony's head, ranging from _'what are you doing?'_, _'push him away'_, and _'oh my god, where did he learn to do that?'_.

Loki pulled back, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.

Tony opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, realising he had no idea on how to respond to that.

"I think I succeeded," Loki said finally, now grinning broadly.

After several attempts, Tony finally made something that was at least half comprehensible come out of his mouth, along the lines of "Holy shit."

"Where the hell did you learn to do that? I don't even know what just happened. Good god I think that was the best kiss of my life."

"You're talking too much again," said Loki, quieter than before, and he kissed Tony again. This time, it was gentle. There was less clashing of teeth and tongues battling for dominance, and instead, their mouths moved in sync, Loki's hand burying itself in Tony's hair, pulling him closer.

"Brother, come and look at..."

Tony leapt away from Loki, immensely guilty as he caught the eye of Thor, who was standing at the door, holding a box of toaster waffles.

"Tony Stark, what were you doing to my brother?" roared the suddenly furious god.

"I-" Tony began, not knowing what to say.

"Thor, stop yelling," Loki ordered quietly, but he went unheard.

"How dare you kiss my brother?"

"Thor, shut up! Tony didn't kiss me, I kissed him," Loki yelled over the top of Thor.

"But why would you do that?" Thor asked, rather confused.

"Because I wanted to," Loki replied. "You don't control me, therefor, I can do what I please."

"Stark, may I speak to you in private?"

"Sure," Tony muttered unenthusiastically, following Thor out the room.

"If my brother has chosen you, you must be careful with his heart. He has been wounded by love before, and if you harm him, I will be forced to unleash the full power of mjölnir on you," Thor said seriously, in the quietest voice he could achieve. "Do you understand me?"

Tony nodded, too nervous to disagree with the God.

"Good," smiled Thor, cheerful again. "I wish you luck."

With that he walked away, whistling and clutching his box of toaster waffles.

Tony stood for a moment, baffled. Then, he slowly stepped back into Loki's room.

"Did you hear all that?" he asked, sitting back down next to Loki, then adding as an afterthought, "you called me Tony when you were talking to Thor. You always call me Stark.

"Yes, I called you Tony. Very observant. Of course I heard what Thor was saying."

"And what did you think?"

"I think that I can't believe I genuinely thought I was related to that Neanderthal for so many years."

Tony laughed, and pulled Loki in for another kiss, thinking _'damn the consequences_'.


	6. Chapter 6

**Remember I mentioned my unofficial beta? Yeah, well she's now my official beta: fanmiliesandfandoms. She's honestly one of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I love her so much. Anyway, onto the fic. I like this chapter. I like it a lot. That's all I'm saying. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Where you having fun with your God?" Clint asked, smirking.

"Tony, you really need to explain this 'your God' thing," Loki said, looking puzzled.

"Later," he murmured, turning to Clint. "What are you talking about?"

"Where you having fun making out with your boyfriend?"

Realisation catching up with him, Tony now turned his eyes on Thor, who was shifting guiltily.

"Thor Odinson, do you not understand the concept of a secret?" Loki demanded.

"I'm sorry, brother," was the reply.

"For the last time, I'm not your brother!" Loki yelled, slowly turning red from anger.

"Calm down, Reindeer Games," Tony whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled," Loki said, breathing heavily. Thor looked rather like a kicked puppy, but smiled all the same.

"I forgive you."

Tony noticed that he'd refrained from using the word 'brother', probably out of fear for getting screamed at again. Loki was pretty scary when he wanted to be, even wearing the set of Iron Man pajamas Tony had left for him.

"So are you two going out?" Clint interrupted eagerly. Tony turned a look of wintry disapproval on him.

"Mind your own business."

If he was honest, Tony didn't know if he was 'going out' with Loki. They'd kissed, but there was nothing said about an actual relationship. Well, there wasn't much talking done at all. Tony didn't know if it was a one night stand type thing, or if it meant something. Personally, he almost hoped it did mean something, no matter how shitty he was with relationships. Let's face it, Loki's a hell of a kisser, and despite his fucked up mind, he's pretty gorgeous too. Then again, Tony was straight. Or at least he thought he was up until half an hour ago. Stupid feelings. All this emotional confusion was starting to hurt his head, and he knew a drink would be in order as soon as he escaped the prying clutches of his pain in the ass team.

"Clint, if they're actually going out, then you owe me $100," Natasha was saying, which brought Tony back into the real world.

"Hang on. You've been making bets on my love life?"

"Can you blame us? You're like a crappy reality TV show when it comes to love. I made a bet with Clint that you were at least bi," Natasha shrugged.

Steve was fidgeting, looking quite uncomfortable at the whole situation. Tony only just refrained from rolling his eyes. Bruce was trying to ignore everything, burying himself in his book.

"Stark, how do you cope with these infuriating people?" Loki asked, and Tony noticed the renewed use of his last name.

"With great difficulty," he replied.

"If we're all going to be telling secrets, Thor, I know who ate the last pop tart. It was Steve," Tony announced.

Thor turned indignantly to Steve. "Captain, why would you eat those delicious Midgardian treats?"

"Tony, why did you tell him that? You promised you wouldn't!" Steve howled.

"Bruce had a date last night," Clint yelled.

"Natasha sleeps with a night light!"

"Tony's read Twilight!"

"My brother gave birth to a horse!"

"Thor, I'm going to kill you," Loki screamed.

"That myth's true?" Clint guffawed.

"Of course it's true, you idiot,"

Loki snapped. "There was a time when Thor would come home every night with a different woman!" he burst out, glaring daggers at the God, who cowered under the vicious look.

"What the hell is going on?" Pepper yelled, walking in to find everyone red faced and throwing insults at each other.

"Tony started it," Clint called out, pointing childishly.

"No, it was Thor," Tony replied.

"I did not do anything!"

"You did so!"

"SHUT UP!" Pepper screamed, holding up her hand. "I've got no idea what's going on, or who started it, but you're all going to sort this out."

With that, she ushered them all into the training room, slamming the door.

The Avengers, and Loki sat down in various parts of the room, sulking with their arms folded.

"Sorry, brother," Thor said quietly, first to break the silence. Loki nodded curtly, but didn't reply. Anger was still flitting across his features.

"Sorry Capsicle. I shouldn't have told Thor about the pop tarts," Tony muttered grudgingly.

"Sorry about telling everyone you had a date, Bruce. Sorry about the night light thing too, Tasha," Clint said, although he didn't sound very apologetic.

"Sorry for telling them you read Twilight, Tony," Natasha scowled.

"Good. It was only on Pepper's orders anyway. It was the crappiest book I've ever read," he huffed. He still remembered that horrific travesty of a book, and was inwardly thankful yet again that he'd managed to escape reading the other books by making the excuse that he had work to do. (Pepper hadn't been fooled, and was still waiting for a time she could force him into reading the others.)

Everyone turned expectantly to Loki.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Say sorry to Thor for telling us he was a slut bag," Tony told him.

"What's a slut bag?"

"Doesn't matter, Rodgers. Loki, apologise."

"Fine. Thor, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, brother. You know I can not remain angry with you."

"Group hug?" Tony proposed, and they all shifted into the middle of the room for an uncomfortably tight embrace.

"You can come out now," Pepper called, the doors sliding open. The hug broke apart immediately, and there was a mad scramble to get out.

"No more fighting?" she asked, giving everyone an significant look.

"Can't promise anything, Pep," Tony answered cheerfully.

She glared, and he quickly changed tact. "But for you, of course we won't fight."

"Yes, m'am," Steve said, saluting her. Tony had the feeling that he was being serious too.

"Ms Potts, I apologise for our childish behavior. I can promise on behalf of all of these people that we will continue to conduct ourselves responsibly," Thor said loudly.

"Ok, sure. I need to go now, and keep trying to run a business that I don't even own!"

"Thanks, Pep," Tony called at her retreating back, and she flipped him off.

"Smooth," Clint said sarcastically, patting him on the back.

"You can fuck off too," Tony replied.


	7. Chapter 7

**I like this chapter. It was fun, and beware: you mightphage some major feels. I know I did, and so did my beta. I won't write as much today because The X Factor's on tonight, and that takes high priority on my list of important things. Wow, I need a social life. **

**But moving on from my life, and coming to the fic.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"So, what's going on with us?" Tony asked, walking into Loki's room and sitting down on the bed.

"What do you mean, Stark?"

"Don't 'Stark' me. You were calling me Tony two days ago. And you were also making out with me. So what's going on? Let's start with why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to," Loki said simply.

"Care to expand?"

"Not really."

"Fine. Do you care about me?"

"Yes."

"Do you like me?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel any attachment to me?"

"Yes."

"You're very confusing."

"I know."

Tony sighed. His little game of 20 questions clearly wasn't getting him anywhere. All he knew now was that Loki wanted to kiss him, cared about him, felt an attachment to him and knew he was confusing.

"If you get to ask me questions, let me ask you something," Loki said.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you save me from S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"You've asked me this before."

"I thought you might have a more substantial answer now."

"Well, I do. I like having you around. You have no idea how lonely it is when the only friend you've got is Pepper, and even she hates me half the time. I have no one to talk to except my own AI, and I feel like an idiot talking to him all the time. I really just want you here so I can talk to you and stuff. If S.H.I.E.L.D took you away, I'd have no one again. Plus, when you're not trying to kill me, you're not so bad."

"Thank you, Tony. I'm grateful that you could answer me," Loki said honestly.

"No problem. But I answered your question, so can you answer mine properly?"

"I suppose. I kissed you not only because I wanted to, but because I do like you. I enjoy your company, and kissing you seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I was taking a risk, and I'd say it payed off. I care for you because you allowed me to stay with you. If I'd have come to any of the other Avengers, I would've been turned away. In fact, they probably would've killed me. You showed trust in me, even if it was involuntary. For that, I can only be grateful. I'm attached to you because you're not so bad yourself," Loki laughed wryly, catching sight of Tony's smirk. "Did I answer your questions satisfactorily?"

"I would say so. Where do we go from here?" Tony asked.

"How do you mean?"

"Jesus, do I have to put it so directly?" Tony yelped. "Are we in a relationship or something?"

"Do you want to be?" Loki asked, looking down slightly.

"I think so," Tony gulped.

"I guess we are in a 'relationship' then," Loki said.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes. It is what I want," Loki told him.

"In that case, I think another kiss is in order," Tony said, barely containing his grin.

"I think it does too."

"Tony, wake up," Loki murmured, shaking the genius' shoulder gently.

"Hmphh," he mumbled into the pillow, rolling over.

"Tony, get up."

He buried himself further into the pillows, grumbling.

"Anthony Stark, get your lazy ass out of this bed," Loki ordered, slapping Tony across the face.

"Arghh, what was that for?"

"I want some breakfast," Loki said innocently.

"And you woke me up for that?"

"No. I woke you up to get up and make me breakfast."

"What did you last servant die of?" Tony asked, sitting up.

"Do you really want to know?" Loki replied wickedly.

"No thanks. What would you like, master?"

"Surprise me," he responded, waving an airy hand.

"Tony, what the fuck is going on?" Pepper squealed, walking into the kitchen and attempting to waft away some of the smoke.

"I don't know! I was trying to make pancakes and then this happened," Tony yelled, his hands flapping as he went into a total panic attack. All he'd wanted to do was make breakfast for his boyfriend-thing/whatever Loki was, and now he'd ended up with this complete mess.

"Jarvis, please extinguish the fire that was previously a perfectly good pan," Pepper ordered.

"Of course, Ms Potts," said Jarvis, promptly extinguishing the flames.

"Pep, help me. I can't make pancakes," Tony pleaded.

"Only if you explain why you're so domesticated."

"Loki wanted me to make breakfast. Now help me."

"Loki? Why are you making him breakfast?"

"No time to explain. He's hungry, and needs his food. I don't much fancy dealing with a grumpy god so early in the morning," Tony said quickly. "So what do we need to make pancakes? Jarvis, give me a recipe. Preferably one that won't cause the house to burn down too."

15 minutes, Tony (with an inordinate amount of help from Pepper) carried a tray with a cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes with ice cream and berries into Loki's bedroom.

"Your breakfast, Monsieur," he said, placing the tray on Loki's lap.

He waited expectantly as the God took a hesitant bite. He chewed slowly, and swallowed.

"I like it," he said finally.

"Yes!" yelled Tony, standing up to do a victory dance whilst Loki looked on in amusement.

"You are an idiot," he laughed.

"But I'm your idiot now," Tony said, smiling and kissing Loki's cheek.

"I rather suppose you are," Loki mused, laughter still evident in his tone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for not updating over the past week. I'm back school, and it's shitty, so I haven't had much time. Every chance I had to write, it do a paragraph and hit writers block. This chapter is unbetaed too because it's smutty and I felt awkward as fuck writing it. My usual smut attempts are terrible, and this is a little better, but I don't like it that much. If you don't like smut, you can skip this chapter and PM so I can fill you in. At least a third of it is smut, probably more. Apologies for this pile of shit and my rambling. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"He's turned you soft," said Clint.

"What?" Tony muttered, slightly distracted by the very animated conversation Loki was having with Thor.

"Loki. He's made you go all soft on us."

"How?"

"For starters, you were cooking for for him. You never cook! I see the way you look at him, too. It's like you've never seen anything so awe-inspiring."

"Almost like the way you look at Natasha," Tony said slyly.

"Shut up," Clint replied, flushing. "Anyway, you're drinking less."

That last statement was true. In the past 2 weeks, Tony had barely drunk a thing, and even his current bottle of beer was still half full after an hour.

"Loki said he didn't like how much I drunk. He said it worried him."

"Jesus Christ, he's turning soft too," Clint said, genuinely surprised. It was odd enough that Tony was loosing his 'tough guy' attitude, but Loki was another thing.

"Barton, I'm not soft," called out the God in question, looking up from his conversation.

"Do you have super hearing or something?" Clint demanded.

"Something like that," Loki answered vaguely. Tony smiled.

"Don't say anything," he warned Clint.

"I didn't-"

"But I know you were going to."

"Fair point," grumbled Clint.

"That was fun," Tony said, collapsing into bed next to Loki. Ever since last week, Loki had practically moved into Tony's room. It saved him having to get up and sneak back into his room every night.

"It was," Loki agreed. "I never liked any of Odin's 'party's' because I felt out of place. I knew I didn't really belong there."

"I'm pleased you enjoyed it. I want you to know that no matter what happened in your past, you belong here now," Tony said earnestly.

"Thank you," Loki answered quietly, pressing a kiss to Tony's lips.

There was silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Loki?"

"Hmmm?" the god replied, rolling over to face Tony.

"You've probably noticed that when it comes to relationships, I'm a massive fuck-up. The last time I had a serious relationship was Pepper, and that ended horrendously after I screwed up. I don't want to mess this up, though. I want this to last as long as it can. Over the two weeks, you've helped me. As Cling pointed out, I don't drink as much. I was in a messy place before, and you helped drag me out. The public might've thought that becoming 'Iron Man' has sorted me out, but truthfully, it hasn't. You're the one who did. I think what I'm trying to say is that I have strong feelings for you. I really do care about you, and I think," he paused, gulping. "Loki, I think I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm sorry, I should never have-" Tony stammered, then he stopped. "What did you just say?"

"I said I love you. Frankly, I'm surprised too. I didn't think I needed love, especially from a mortal, but I was wrong. Tony, you look like a fish. Please close your mouth," Loki reprimanded tenderly.

"Sorry, I'm just-"

"Stop apologising too. There's no need."

Tony nodded, his mouth dry. He tried to speak, say something, but nothing came out. The only thing he could think to do was to kiss Loki. So he went with his instincts and pressed a gentle, passionate kiss to the God's lips.

Moving his hand to the back of Tony's neck, Loki pulled him closer, attempting to remove any space between them. Unlike their usual kisses, their mouths moved in perfect sync, neither fighting for dominance. Although they didn't want to admit it, it was perfect.

"Loki, please," Tony begged, as the God began to grind his hips against Tony's growing erection, all sweetness leaving the moment.

"Please what?" he hissed.

"Oh, God. Please fuck me!" Tony yelled, not caring about the fact that everyone would be able to hear him.

"That's it," smiled Loki. With a click of his fingers, their clothes disappeared. Tony knew magic was good for something, and he was just starting to find out exactly what.

"Shit," muttered the man through gritted teeth, pleasure overtaking him as Loki took his cock in his mouth.

"How the fuck did you learn that?"

"They don't call me Silvertongue for nothing," was the reply, as Loki looked up through his eyelashes, pupils blown wide with lust, a smirk fixed on his swollen lips.

"You're telling me," Tony groaned, pulling hard on his hair, back arching as Loki swirled his tongue as if to prove his point. "Will you just fuck me already?"

"Patience is a virtue," Loki winked, moving up to place another quick peck upon Tony's lips. Without any other warning, he inserted one of his inhumanly long fingers into the tight ring of muscle.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuck," Tony panted, his hand moving to grasp his erection, but Loki swatted it away.

"No. You'll come without touching yourself. But this is only the beginning," he said sinisterly, thrusting another finger in.

A stream of curses flew from Tony's mouth as a third finger joined the others, curling to make him scream in ecstasy.

"I think you're ready now. You've been such a good boy," Loki purred, trailing his other hand over Tony's chest and arc reactor.

"Yes. Please," he grunted, trying to shift into a better position.

Sweat beaded across Loki's face as he lined his cock up with Tony's ass, pushing the tip in and teasing.

"Just do it already!"

"Well, if you insist."

Loki held nothing back. He set the pace immediately, thrusting hard and fast into Tony, his hips rocking violently. Tony's hands scrabbled over the sheets, trying desperately to get a grip on something, _anything_.

"Harder!" he yelled, throwing his head back as a particularly well-aimed thrust hit his prostate. Obeying, Loki gripped Tony's hips, his whole length sliding in and out, hitting the man's prostate every time.

"Fuck, I'm so close," he grunted, the immense pleasure threatening to take over his body.

"Not yet," Loki growled, biting Tony's neck and sucking, marking him as his. His hand moved down to Tony's dick, squeezing it hard.

An animalistic scream tore from Tony's mouth, as he came over Loki's hand, white-hot waves of pleasure spreading through him. The sensation of his walls clenching around Loki's cock was too much for the god, and he came inside Tony, collapsing on top of him, panting hard.

"That was amazing," Tony breathed, pushing his hair off his sweaty forehead, kissing Loki tenderly. His face was flushed, strands of hair glued to his glistening cheeks and the back if his neck.

"I love you, Tony Stark."

"Love you too, Loki," Tony whispered, his eyes fluttering shut.


	9. Chapter 9

**Another update. I'm hoping for maybe 2 a week. I'm just going to apologise for this being all over the place. There's snarky Tony, ass hole Fury, pissed Natasha, and drama. I only see a few more chapters for this. I reckon I'll be finished by the end of the month. Extremely long fics aren't my thing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"What the hell were you just staring at?" Tony demanded, looking at Steve.

"You and Loki. I never thought I'd say this, but you make a very good couple," Steve smiled softly. "It almost makes me miss it."

Tony knew instantly what he was talking about. "Umm, sorry," he mumbled awkwardly, patting Steve on the shoulder.

"Don't be. It's something I've learned to live with. I don't think I'll ever like it, but I'm getting on with life."

If there was one thing Tony really did admire about the soldier, it was his optimism. The world could be ending, and Steve would still battle on. It was a type of inner strength that Tony couldn't understand for the life of him. He'd deny it if anyone asked him about it, but to spend a day in Steve's head would be fascinating, to find out what really goes on in that mind of his.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" Tony said, breaking out of his reverie. "Oh, nothing."

"Don't give me that. I know you were thinking about something important. Your eyes did that weird thing where they glaze over and you get all unfocused."

"You're very observant, Rodgers," Loki said, walking back into the room holding 3 cups of coffee. "I thought you might like one." He handed cup to Steve.

"Tony, 2 sugars, just as you like. I really think you should cut down on your sugar."

"Nah, I'm fine," the genius protested, drinking deeply. "You can't talk anyway, you have 3 sugars!"

"Only because the drink is too bitter otherwise," Loki responded defensively.

"Whatever you say, Mr Hypocrite," Tony smirked. "And you can wipe that grin off your face, too, Capsicle."

"Sorry," laughed the soldier.

"You lazy fuckers haven't done anything for the past month almost. Time to get out and do some avenging," Fury ordering, walking into the tower.

"Hang on. Could you please knock first or something? A little respect isn't too hard," Tony said, glaring at the man.

"Respect is a two way street, Stark."

"Fury, you can't tell to do some 'avenging'. There's nothing going on right now," Clint moaned.

"We could do with some help training new S.H.E.I.L.D agents," Fury shrugged.

"That's not our job and you know it," Tony said accusingly.

"Well your jobs are changing a bit. You do what I tell you."

"Manipulative little shit," Tony muttered.

"Do you need us all, Director?" Steve asked.

"Yes. Everyone except you. I still don't trust you," he said, pointing at Loki.

"For fucks sake, it's been a over a month! Are you really that much of a cold-hearted bastard?" Tony yelled, staring at Fury. He couldn't believe that the asshole still couldn't find it somewhere in that dead thing called a heart to even begin trusting Loki.

"I don't think you should be accusing anyone of being a cold-hearted bastard, Stark," Fury replied, smirking slightly. "I want you all, excluding Loki, at base in one hour."

"I swear to god, I am going to fucking kill him," Tony burst out, glaring daggers at Fury's retreating back.

"Tony, calm down," Loki told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Breathing heavily, the man obeyed.

"You should get ready. Don't worry about Fury," Loki said softly, gently kissing Tony. He chose to ignore the slightly indignant noise that came from Thor at that point.

It took Clint yelling, Steve trying to reason with him, Natasha threatening him and Bruce finally saying the Other Guy would make an appearance for Tony to actually leave Loki. He was still stubbornly saying that it was unfair and Fury was an asshole.

"Tony, go! You know I'll be fine here. I can look after myself," Loki finally had said loudly. "I love you, and I appreciate your concern, but it's unnecessary," he'd added more quietly, kissing Tony's cheek tenderly.

"I hate you guys too," Tony muttered as soon as they set off.

Clint shrugged, indifferent. "You've got some major attachment issues, dude."

"I am great full of the way you are protective over my brother. I believe you are treating him in a way that he deserves," Thor said, patting Tony heavily on the shoulder, causing his knees to buckle slightly.

"Enough about Tony and Loki. Can we just hurry up?" Natasha asked.

"You're so eager to get on with stuff, aren't you?" Tony questioned, looking sideways at her.

"It's called work ethic. Something is never expect you to understand."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Tasha," he smirked. Seconds later, the grin slid off his face as Natasha kicked him in the balls.

"That was horrendous," Clint complained as they left S.H.I.E.L.D.

As predicted, the new agents were a bunch of inexperienced idiots just out if their teenage years. All they appeared to be able to focus on was the fact they were in the presence of the infamous Avengers. Thor was at a loss to explain all the sudden attention, but the others were used to it. Tony found it almost second nature, what with being in the spotlight for most of his life.

"Why do we have to walk?" Clint interrupted, slouching.

"Fresh air and exercise does you good," Steve reprimanded.

"I get exercise! This is just unnecessary."

"It's calming," Bruce said, gazing at the trees blowing in the slight autumn breeze.

"Do you need calming?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at this specific moment, but it helps to be calm all the time," Bruce pointed out fairly.

"I agree," Natasha announces, closing the discussion. Everyone knew by now that you didn't argue with Natasha if you valued your life. Even Tony was able to contain some of his usual snark for fear of his safety.

Finally (and much to Clint's relief) they arrived back at Stark Tower.

"Loki, we're back!" Tony called out, throwing open the door.

There was no answer.

"That's odd. Maybe he's watching TV or something," Tony muttered, but he had a feeling that wasn't the case.

Sure enough, upon entering the living room, it was to find no Loki. Tony decided to check the bedroom, thinking he might be waiting in there.

Yet again, there was no one there. Tony knew there was something really wrong now.

"Thor," he called out. "Have you heard from your brother?"

"Not since we left, I haven't. I have a terrible sense he is in grave danger, though," Thor said, entering the room. There was concern written across his face, brows knitted together.

"Where do you think he is?" Tony asked, frantically glancing around the room as if expecting Loki to pop out from the wardrobe or something.

"I do not know. My brother did not notify me he was intending on making a trip," Thor replied, puzzled. "But what is that on your pillow?" he asked, pointing at a small piece of paper resting on the pillow.

Tony picked it up, examining the letters carefully. He read it several times, his face paling every time his eyes slid over the the page.

"Thor, he's been taken," he said hoarsely, before passing out.


	10. Chapter 10

**As predicted, updating frequently is becoming more of a challenge. What with school, personal stuff and trying to keep on top of TV, I'm struggling for time. Most of my writing is done late at night, so errors are probably a common thing. All I can do is apologise and say there's maybe 1 more chapter and an epilogue left. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Tony, wake up!" Steve said urgently, shaking the man gently.

"Dude! Wake the fuck up!" Clint yelled, punching Tony in the face.

"Well done. I thought I'd go for a gentle approach, but maybe not," grumbled Steve, glaring at the archer.

"Shut up. It worked anyway."

Clint had a point. Tony was slowly coming to, groaning as he sat up.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. Again," Bruce told him.

"Why?" he looked around, and caught sight of the paper still clutched in his hand. "Shit! Where's Loki?"

"My brother was taken by the Chitari. I imagine they wished to take revenge for his failed attempt of dominating Midgard," Thor said gravely.

"Crap. We need to do something. Can't you track him?"

"I'm afraid not. My magic is not as advanced as Loki's, therefor I cannot control it as easily."

"Well that's fucking useless," Tony snapped.

"Tony, that was rude," Steve reprimanded quietly.

"Shut up! I don't care right now!"

"I don't get it. Why do you care so much anyway? He's tried to kill us all several times," Clint muttered.

"Listen here, dumb fuck," Tony snarled, slamming Clint against the wall. "Just because you're too much of a fuck up to keep a stable relationship doesn't mean everyone else is. If I was you, I'd keep my fucking mouth shut or I swear to God, I will kill you."

The words viciously ripped themselves from Tony's throat, the sting evident from the look of Hirt indignation on Clint's face.

"Tony," Bruce said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "When was the last time you did the washing?"

"Does that matter right now?" he asked impatiently, wondering how the hell his washing schedule could be relevant right now.

"It does. If you can get any of Loki's clothes, you might be able to scan them to find traces of his magic. You could track him through that. I don't know if it'll work, but..."

"Bruce, you're a fucking genius!" Tony exclaimed, actually kissing him on the cheek, raising a disapproved look from Thor.

With that, Tony raced to his room, rooted through the washing to find one of Loki's shirts and headed down to his workshop.

Several hours of strenuous work, 4 bouts of killer headaches, 13 coffees and 6 energy drinks later, Tony had finally managed to successfully track Loki's magic. A small red dot indicated that he was on the border of Germany. It was almost ironic, Tony thought, as Germany was where he'd first met Loki. With a wry smile, he recalled how the God had been previously. With a rush of affection, he then thought about how much he'd changed lately.

Feeling even more motivated to do something, Tony jumped up, preparing himself to tell his team what they needed to do. As much as he hated to admit it, this was something he couldn't do alone. He needed his friends, although he'd deny it till the end.

"Okay, we've been through the plan. We all know what we're doing. Are we ready to go?" Tony asked, purposely making eye contact with everyone, trying to drill into them how vital this all was.

"I think so, but Tony-" Steve began, before he was cut off.

"Look, of you're going to lecture me about what happened with Barton earlier, I don't want to hear it."

"No, I wasn't going to. I just wanted to say that even though we've all had our fair share of issues with Loki, I understand why you're doing this. If I was in your position, I'd do the same thing. I want you to know I support you," Steve finished, offering a smile.

Tony couldn't think of anything to say, so he just nodded. He was sure Steve could see the fact that his eyes were glistening slightly and knew that was enough. Almost reducing Tony Stark to tears was a difficult task, something that very few people had the ability to do.

"Shall we proceed to save my brother?" Thor asked, breaking the silence. Everyone nodded grimly, preparing themselves for whatever dangers were about to come.

Tony felt an unfamiliar twisting in his stomach and fought down the urge to be sick as he gazed at the abandoned warehouse that somewhere, held Loki. With a jolt, he realised that these emotions were that of mixed concern, fear and apprehension.

He tried his best to pull himself together, then signaled to the group that they were to enter with caution.

Silently, they entered the dilapidated building, glancing around for any indication of where Loki was being held. Tony had already guessed that he would be in the middle of the warehouse, judging from the position of the tiny red dot, so they tried following a relatively straightforward path to the centre.

Attempting to keep calm, Tony continued walking, dreading whatever he'd find. Faintly, he heard the sound of deep, raspy voices and knew they were drawing closer to the Chitari.

Splitting through the silence, came a horrifying, blood curdling scream. Tony winced as he heard it, and he knew it was the most horrific thing he'd heard in his life. The sound had reinvigorated him to do everything in his power to destroy the creatures that were causing Loki this amount of anguish. No one could hurt the person he was in love with and get away with it. Not even a bunch of murderous aliens set on revenge.

"Tony," Steve mouthed, pointing round a corner. "In there."

Heart thumping, Tony peered round, and let out an involuntary cry at the scene before him. He was inwardly greatful that his suit masked any emotions that were flickering across his face.

Loki was strapped to an old table, with about 6 of the Chitari hovering over him. It was clear that they had the ability to implicate great pain on Loki. Tony forced himself not to look at the god, fear swelling inside of him like an out of control river at the thought of what he might see.

"Fun's over, boys," he announced, desperately trying to stop his voice from cracking. "Time to hand him over."


	11. Chapter 11

**Last chapter! Well, I've written an epilogue too, but that doesn't really count. This is he first time I've ever finished writing something. I hate endings. Don't worry though, I have a few more ideas already. I'm going to discuss them with my beta to see what she thinks. I reall hope people have enjoying this fic. I've loved writing it, and I promise I'll write more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.**

"Why Silvertongue, your friends have come to rescue you. How valiant," sneered one of the Chitari, taunting Loki.

Tony couldn't help him self, and looked to find Loki with cuts and bruises peppering his porcelain skin, a gag tied tightly against his mouth and his eyelids half closed with pain. It was a sight that would be forever ingrained in his memory, and something that Tony desperately wished he could get rid off.

Steeling himself, he looked round, gesturing that it was time to attack. With a roar, the Other Guy joined the party, completing their essemble.

Knowing that they were as ready as possible, the Avengers led their attack on the person who was previously their enemy.

It had been planned that Tony and Steve would be left to rescue Loki, whilst Natasha, Clint, Thor and Bruce destroyed the Chitari. Steve provided cover as Tony ran to the table, hastening to remove Loki's restraints. He struggled with them, and resorted to using one of his new additions to the suit, using a laser to cut through the metal.

As much as he hated it, he knew the gag was less of a problem at that particular moment, and left it, instead continuing to get rid off any shackled attached to Loki's body.

"Tony!" Steve yelled desperately. "There are more coming! You need to hurry."

"I'm trying," he growled. "Do these damn things ever give up?"

Finally, with one particularly hard wrench, Loki came free, and Tony was left to do nothing but swing him over his shoulders like a rag doll. He took in the fighting taking place in front of him, and knew they had to resort to desperate measures.

"Come on!" he yelled, gesturing for everyone to follow him out the building.

"Clint, we're going to blow it up. Load up," Tony ordered. "JARVIS, I need repulsers at full blast."

"Right away, sir," came the crisp British voice.

Loading one of his precious exploding arrows, Clint carefully took aim at the centre of the warehouse, hoping to hit it's weak spot.

"Now," Tony yelled, firing his repulsers after seeing JARVIS had successfully upped to power, hoping and praying his plan worked.

With an ear splitting boom, the warehouse exploded. Flames spiraled high in the air above, performing an intricate dance of destruction. Through the aftershock, everyone was knocked clean off their feet, hitting the ground with a breathtaking force.

Standing up, the Avengers stood up, brushing ash and soot off their clothing.

"Well done," Tony said quietly, allowing his composure the break as he fell to his knees beside Loki.

"Loki, wake up. Please," he begged, gripping the God's shoulders and shaking him lightly, careful not to cause unnecessary pain. "You need to wake up. I can't live without you. Please, Loki. For me."

Tony felt a tear drip down his face, mixing with the dirt and grime. He didn't care though, because all that mattered was the broken person who was lying before him. It only vaguely registered with him that his mask prevented anyone from seeing his years anyway.

Mentally, he begged Loki to still be alive, and to wake up. After everything that had happen, he couldn't lose Loki. He wouldn't let it happen. The one person he'd ever fallen in love with and kept a real relationship with was not going to die. Not today, not ever.

"Tony," breathed Loki, his eyelids fluttering open slightly. Now that he'd come round, it was clear the pain he'd been put through. His face was even paler than usual, and there were dark bruises decorating his entire body. Tony felt a rush of anger at the Chitari, but knew he'd already taken his revenge. The smoking building before them was an indication that no one could possibly have survived. There was a grim satisfaction in knowing the monsters that had hurt Loki would never be able to harm him again.

"Thank god," Tony murmured shakily, wrapping his arms tightly around Loki. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" he asked, his signature smirk making an appearance again, even though it was slightly weaker that usual.

"I'd never want to get rid of you. I love you."

"I love you too," Loki said, removing Tony's mask to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.


	12. Epiloge

**Here's that long overdue epiloge I mentioned. Thank you do much to everyone who's read, followed, favourited and reviewed thisfic. You've all inspired me to keep writing, and I promise thereWeill be a lot more to come from me. Special thank you to my amazing beta who I love so much 3**

"How are you faring, brother?" Thor asked, sitting down next to Loki after returning from Asgard.

"Much better. Of course, Tony still insists on keeping me on house arrest until he sees fit for me to go out, but I am well," Loki answered.

It had been a month since the Chitari attack, and things were slowly getting back to the normal. The main difference was that Loki had permanently moved in. That, and his arm was in a sling.

"I am pleased that the Man of Iron is taking care of you."

"Taking care? I feel like a slave!" Tony panted, rushing in with a cup of coffee for Loki.

"Thank you," he said, kissing Tony quickly and taking the cup. "I need someone to look after me. My arm has rendered me incapable of doing it for myself."

"I know," sighed Tony, heaving himself down next to Loki. "How was Asgard?" he asked, turning to Thor.

"All is well. Mother is grateful for your dedication to my brother."

"Ehh, it's not a problem. It's like having a pet or something."

"Stark, I am not your pet."

"I know babe, just messing with you," smiled the man, wrapping an arm around Loki's shoulders.

"I shall leave you now. I must visit the lady Jane. My presence is long overdue," Thor excused himself, standing up.

"Goodbye Thor," called Loki, leaning into Tony's hold.

"So what was he talking to you about?" Tony asked, fiddling with a strand of Loki's hair.

"He was just checking if I was alright. Seeing if you were adequately looking after me."

"Of course I am. I'd never let you get hurt again," he said defensively.

"I know," Loki told him soothingly. "Thor is simply concerned for my well being."

"He doesn't need to be. I'm doing a good job with you."

"Yes, I know. I love you," Loki said slightly impatiently.

"Love you too," Tony replied, nestling his head on top of Loki's shoulder.


End file.
